Rising Shadows
Chapter Eight - Home For Christmas
"Okay, first-years, listen up! This list is for those of you who will be staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas Holidays." announced a prefect to the Gryffindor Common Room. "For those of you who are going home, the train will be here after lunch tomorrow to pick you up, so have your things packed and ready to go by then."
"Anyone staying?" asked James, shuffling the Exploding Snap cards and dealing them out again.
"My father wants me home." said Sirius. He stood up from the game, and opened the window near them, where an owl tapped at the glass. The owl swooped over to Peter, who let it rest on his shoulder while he read the letter it had brought.
"I'm going home. My mom makes the best Christmas Dinner in the world." said James. Peter groaned. "What?"
"My sister has the flu!" Peter complained, "I have to stay here now."
"I'm staying too," said Remus, "Come on, let's go sign the list." The two boys set down their cards and went to stand in line
James turned to Sirius as they went to sign the sheet. "Are you sure you want to go home? Maybe you should come home with me, or something." Sirius shook his head.
"My father wants me to come home, besides, I doubt your parents want me over for Christmas. You're not supposed to be friends with me in the first place."
"Oh, who cares about that? I can be friends with anyone I want to." James sighed. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
~oOo~
"You guys'll write us and tell us how Hogwart's Christmas is, won't you?" asked James. "If it's any good, maybe I'll stay next year."
"Of course. C-ya James, Bye Sirius!" said Peter, waving good-bye to his friends.
"Yeah, bye!" said Remus.
"Bye!" shouted James and Sirius as the train pulled away from the platform. James led the way down the train, looking for an empty compartment. They found one near the end of the train that was almost empty.
"Hey!" said Lily as they walked in.
"Hi Lily." said James, "Mind if we join you?"
"Of course not, come in."
The boys each took a seat across from Lily. Sirius lifted Roxy out of her cage, but James just looked over at Lily.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
"Oh, nothing really. I'm just worried about my sister." Lily stated. Sirius looked up at her. He could tell she was concerned about something.
"Why? What's wrong with her?" he asked.
"Nothing, but.well. Petunia and I always got along really well. But, when I got my letter to go to Hogwarts, she started being really cold towards me. I'm not really sure why. I guess she could be jealous that I'm a witch and she isn't, but it didn't quite seem like it."
"Oh, well.I'm sure it's nothing." said James.
"Yeah, maybe."
The three students spent the rest of the train ride talking about their families at home, and the new friends they made at school. But the ride was over far too soon, at least in Sirius's case.
~oOo~
The train slowed to a stop at King's Cross Platform 9 ¾. By now it was beginning to get dark as the students made their way off the train. Sirius had a feeling of dread in his stomach he couldn't quite get rid of. James and Lily had tried to comfort him on the trip, but he still felt like an injured animal walking right into the cage.
James and Sirius lifted the three trunks off the train, and set them on carts to make them easier to carry. Lily put Roxy back in her cage, and handed it to Sirius.
"Thank Lily." he said. Lily just waved him off as she spotted her mother and father among the crowd. "See you after Break. Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!" chorused the boys.
Sirius turned around to check on Roxy. When he turned back to James, he found Mr. Potter standing there as well, eyeing him with utmost dislike.
"James.." he started, but was interrupted.
"Come on, dad. You don't want to make mum wait, do you?"
"Err, of course not" his father replied, still looking at Sirius, Sirius's Gryffindor Badge, and Sirius's kitten in a cage. He also got to observe Sirius jump like a frightened rabbit as his father called out his name.
"Sirius!"
Rigel Black marched up to James, his father, and Sirius, his head held high and his eyes flashing in such a way that told Sirius he was not going to have a Merry Christmas.
"Come on, James, let's go." said Mr. Potter, glaring at the Blacks.
"Merry Christmas." muttered James. Sirius forced half a smile and repeated the greetings, but the smile faded as his father grasped his shoulder.
Rigel glared at the retreating backs of the Potters until they could no longer be seen through the crowd. He then turned back to his son. "Come on then, boy. Back home." He once again handed the kitten's cage to his son, and pushed the cart back to the fireplace. Rigel once again went through the fireplace before Sirius.
The moment he stepped out of the fireplace into the familiar mansion, the cage was ripped from his hands, and was thrown to the ground, squeals of protests emitting from the young cat. Sirius covered his face with his arms and simply hoped his father would knock him unconscious before anything horribly painful happened.
Rigel sank a knife into the screaming boy's back again. The boy squirmed and cried out, but only succeeded in forcing the knife through more of his burning skin.
"This is nothing compared to what this whole thing cost me, boy!" Rigel said of the boy's continuous screaming. This was partially true, as the inner circle hadn't been pleased to find one of its heirs in Gryffindor. Maybe a Ravenclaw would have been tolerated, which is what Rigel and expected, but never a Gryffindor.
A chiming doorbell could barely be heard over Sirius. Rigel dropped the boy, leaving the knife in his back, and was relieved when he stepped out of the room, and the screaming could no longer be heard through the silencing charm.
Sirius pulled the knife from his back with a great amount of effort. He crawled from the kitchen, back into the study. Roxy's cage was still lying on the floor, up side down, but Sirius couldn't help her now. He opened his trunk, aching all over as he moved.
He lifted his wand and a quill and began searching for parchment. Voices could soon be heard, and as they grew closer, he began to panic. He flipped a book open with an elbow and tore out a page. He wrote, wrist burning, 'help' on the page and closed the truck
Sirius searched the room. His eyes fell on Ebony. He hesitated, the owl had belonged to his mother, but as the voices came ever closer, he made up his mind. He could barely lift his wand, but managed to blast open the cage (whether from his wand or from unfocused magic, he wasn't sure). Ebony flew over to Sirius and landed on his shoulder. Sirius winced but lifted the bloody page to her beak. "Take this.to...James... Take it to.James Potter" She took the page and flew to the window, it was closed, however.
Sirius groaned and moved to open the window. He whimpered and fell to the floor as the pain washed over him. The guilt and loneliness that he had long ago learned to ignore now erupted inside of him.
The window burst open seconds before the door. He heard Rigel curse, then blacked out again.
A/N: Poor, poor Sirius. I promise he feels better later.later being a key word.
"Okay, first-years, listen up! This list is for those of you who will be staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas Holidays." announced a prefect to the Gryffindor Common Room. "For those of you who are going home, the train will be here after lunch tomorrow to pick you up, so have your things packed and ready to go by then."
"Anyone staying?" asked James, shuffling the Exploding Snap cards and dealing them out again.
"My father wants me home." said Sirius. He stood up from the game, and opened the window near them, where an owl tapped at the glass. The owl swooped over to Peter, who let it rest on his shoulder while he read the letter it had brought.
"I'm going home. My mom makes the best Christmas Dinner in the world." said James. Peter groaned. "What?"
"My sister has the flu!" Peter complained, "I have to stay here now."
"I'm staying too," said Remus, "Come on, let's go sign the list." The two boys set down their cards and went to stand in line
James turned to Sirius as they went to sign the sheet. "Are you sure you want to go home? Maybe you should come home with me, or something." Sirius shook his head.
"My father wants me to come home, besides, I doubt your parents want me over for Christmas. You're not supposed to be friends with me in the first place."
"Oh, who cares about that? I can be friends with anyone I want to." James sighed. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
~oOo~
"You guys'll write us and tell us how Hogwart's Christmas is, won't you?" asked James. "If it's any good, maybe I'll stay next year."
"Of course. C-ya James, Bye Sirius!" said Peter, waving good-bye to his friends.
"Yeah, bye!" said Remus.
"Bye!" shouted James and Sirius as the train pulled away from the platform. James led the way down the train, looking for an empty compartment. They found one near the end of the train that was almost empty.
"Hey!" said Lily as they walked in.
"Hi Lily." said James, "Mind if we join you?"
"Of course not, come in."
The boys each took a seat across from Lily. Sirius lifted Roxy out of her cage, but James just looked over at Lily.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
"Oh, nothing really. I'm just worried about my sister." Lily stated. Sirius looked up at her. He could tell she was concerned about something.
"Why? What's wrong with her?" he asked.
"Nothing, but.well. Petunia and I always got along really well. But, when I got my letter to go to Hogwarts, she started being really cold towards me. I'm not really sure why. I guess she could be jealous that I'm a witch and she isn't, but it didn't quite seem like it."
"Oh, well.I'm sure it's nothing." said James.
"Yeah, maybe."
The three students spent the rest of the train ride talking about their families at home, and the new friends they made at school. But the ride was over far too soon, at least in Sirius's case.
~oOo~
The train slowed to a stop at King's Cross Platform 9 ¾. By now it was beginning to get dark as the students made their way off the train. Sirius had a feeling of dread in his stomach he couldn't quite get rid of. James and Lily had tried to comfort him on the trip, but he still felt like an injured animal walking right into the cage.
James and Sirius lifted the three trunks off the train, and set them on carts to make them easier to carry. Lily put Roxy back in her cage, and handed it to Sirius.
"Thank Lily." he said. Lily just waved him off as she spotted her mother and father among the crowd. "See you after Break. Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!" chorused the boys.
Sirius turned around to check on Roxy. When he turned back to James, he found Mr. Potter standing there as well, eyeing him with utmost dislike.
"James.." he started, but was interrupted.
"Come on, dad. You don't want to make mum wait, do you?"
"Err, of course not" his father replied, still looking at Sirius, Sirius's Gryffindor Badge, and Sirius's kitten in a cage. He also got to observe Sirius jump like a frightened rabbit as his father called out his name.
"Sirius!"
Rigel Black marched up to James, his father, and Sirius, his head held high and his eyes flashing in such a way that told Sirius he was not going to have a Merry Christmas.
"Come on, James, let's go." said Mr. Potter, glaring at the Blacks.
"Merry Christmas." muttered James. Sirius forced half a smile and repeated the greetings, but the smile faded as his father grasped his shoulder.
Rigel glared at the retreating backs of the Potters until they could no longer be seen through the crowd. He then turned back to his son. "Come on then, boy. Back home." He once again handed the kitten's cage to his son, and pushed the cart back to the fireplace. Rigel once again went through the fireplace before Sirius.
The moment he stepped out of the fireplace into the familiar mansion, the cage was ripped from his hands, and was thrown to the ground, squeals of protests emitting from the young cat. Sirius covered his face with his arms and simply hoped his father would knock him unconscious before anything horribly painful happened.
Rigel sank a knife into the screaming boy's back again. The boy squirmed and cried out, but only succeeded in forcing the knife through more of his burning skin.
"This is nothing compared to what this whole thing cost me, boy!" Rigel said of the boy's continuous screaming. This was partially true, as the inner circle hadn't been pleased to find one of its heirs in Gryffindor. Maybe a Ravenclaw would have been tolerated, which is what Rigel and expected, but never a Gryffindor.
A chiming doorbell could barely be heard over Sirius. Rigel dropped the boy, leaving the knife in his back, and was relieved when he stepped out of the room, and the screaming could no longer be heard through the silencing charm.
Sirius pulled the knife from his back with a great amount of effort. He crawled from the kitchen, back into the study. Roxy's cage was still lying on the floor, up side down, but Sirius couldn't help her now. He opened his trunk, aching all over as he moved.
He lifted his wand and a quill and began searching for parchment. Voices could soon be heard, and as they grew closer, he began to panic. He flipped a book open with an elbow and tore out a page. He wrote, wrist burning, 'help' on the page and closed the truck
Sirius searched the room. His eyes fell on Ebony. He hesitated, the owl had belonged to his mother, but as the voices came ever closer, he made up his mind. He could barely lift his wand, but managed to blast open the cage (whether from his wand or from unfocused magic, he wasn't sure). Ebony flew over to Sirius and landed on his shoulder. Sirius winced but lifted the bloody page to her beak. "Take this.to...James... Take it to.James Potter" She took the page and flew to the window, it was closed, however.
Sirius groaned and moved to open the window. He whimpered and fell to the floor as the pain washed over him. The guilt and loneliness that he had long ago learned to ignore now erupted inside of him.
The window burst open seconds before the door. He heard Rigel curse, then blacked out again.
A/N: Poor, poor Sirius. I promise he feels better later.later being a key word.